Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food is packaged in bags made from sustainable and compostable EarthFirst PLA film

AZUSA, CA – (For Immediate Release) – Cardinal Pet Care lives up to its slogan “Devoted To Pets, People and The Planet.” About two years ago, it turned its Azusa, CA headquarters into one of the first 100% solar powered warehouses and manufacturing facilities in the industry. A year later, it built a sprawling new facility next door, which like its neighbor, draws all of its power for lighting, heating, cooling and equipment operation from the sun.

Now Cardinal has followed up its two 100% solar-powered buildings by introducing the first compostable dog food bags in the industry made from EarthFirst PLA film. The new sustainable eco-friendly packaging is used to make all bags for Cardinal’s Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food.

Made in Columbus, Ohio, EarthFirst polylactic acid (PLA) film is derived from annually renewable plant sources like corn, sugar beets, sugar cane and switchgrass. Being a completely natural product, EarthFirst’s PLA bags are environmentally friendly and break down entirely when composted.

Despite their obvious biodegradability, the EarthFirst PLA bags are just as durable as those made with petroleum-based products and create an excellent barrier that helps retain the freshness of Pet Botanics’ new dry dog food for a longer period of time. Additionally, EarthFirst uses soy-based inks, which respond better to the de-inking process at recycling facilities than do standard inks. Plus, the inks are made from soybeans, another renewable resource.

Switching to 100% solar power in 2009 and going completely off the grid has given Cardinal the opportunity to manufacture products that leave no carbon footprint behind. The 60-year-old company replaced a variety of power-drawing fixtures with energy-efficient alternatives. It also replaced the building’s skylights with prismatic units, added sensors that turn off lights when an area is vacated, and installed a “white roof” with 320 American-made solar panels covering 5,440 square feet of roof space. These changes have reduced the energy load so significantly that Cardinal was able to install air conditioning in the factory and actually gives power back to the city of Azusa.

Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Gourmet Dog Food is available in three flavors – Salmon, Chicken and Lamb. For more information, contact Cardinal Laboratories at 800-433-7387 or visit www.cardinalpet.com